Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Saturday, while strongly condemned the Pakistani shelling in eastern provinces of the country, said that all efforts on table to defend the country—if diplomatic channels not beard fruits.
According to reports, Pakistan army had fired dozens of artillery shells on Sarkano district of Kunar province, which resulted at killing of two civilians. The shelling has been started hours after a deadly explosion ripped in a shrine in Sindh province of Pakistan. After the incident Pakistan allegedly claimed that Afghanistan was behind the incident and this issue simmered tension between Kabul and Islamabad.
“Military preparations are in full swing to defend the country, if diplomatic dialogues failed to stop Pakistan border shelling in eastern provinces of Afghanistan,” said Chief of the Army Staff, Qadam Shah Shaheem.
He said that Afghan government frequently handed over documents and witness to the Pakistan over presence of terrorists and their sanctuaries in Pakistani soil, thus it is necessary for Pakistan to hold practical steps against them in order to improve security situation in the region.
“There is no distinction between terrorist groups, and every country should bear in mind that training, facilitating and supporting militants is a mistake that they also would burn one day in that flame,” he added.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Saturday summoned Pakistani ambassador to register concerns over border shelling.
In a statement issued by MoFA, said that Deputy Foreign Minister, Hekmat Khalil Karzai summoned Pakistani Ambassador to Kabul, Abrar Hussain, denouncing rocket attacks in Afghanistan.
According to statement, “During the meeting, the Deputy Foreign Minister expressed his condolence for the recent suicide attack that took place at a shrine in Pakistan’s Sindh, in which innocent people lost their lives.”
He furthered, the people of Afghanistan who are the victims of terrorism can understand this pain because they witness such terrorist and rocket attacks everyday masterminded on the other side of the line. “The Government of Afghanistan wants Pakistan to take action against terrorist groups hidden in that country.”
Deputy Foreign Ministers also denounced the last night rocket attacks of Pakistani troops on Lalpur of Nangarhar province, and other eastern parts of Afghanistan and asked for explanation. These attacks caused the displacement of civilians during winter time.
Moreover, the Deputy Foreign Minister showed his concern over the arrest of 150 Afghans in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and also to the closure of Torkham and Chaman Gates against Afghan commuters and merchants.
Furthermore, Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan expressed concerns over Pakistan’s crossing-border shelling, said the both sides must work together and de-escalates the tensions.
“Any increasing tension concern us, it is negative and it is risky,” Charles Cleveland, a spokesman for RS told 1TV. “All sides and every one of us have got to figure out and work together so that we can commonly address terrorism.
“70 percent of IS (in Afghanistan) are former TTP members, they stay cross the border, we have killed several leaders including top 12 ISIS leaders, we have killed the leader of PGG who was responsible for horrible attack in a Peshawar school that killed over 150 people,” the RS spokesman said.
“Last year, IS were present in about 11 districts of Nangarhar and now it has been reduced to two or three and their numbers were 2,000 and now down to about 700 in Nangarhar and a few hundred in Kunar,” he added.
